Gods Behaving Badly

It is growing more difficult to judge the secular from sacred, the profane from the culturally-acceptable. The distinctions between the many groups are blurring, and no longer do people believe what they are told by the church or by their college professor about discerning them. The media does not attempt to do any different. Ward says it presents us with a multitude of ways to live and “be human”. It works through the currency of meaning, exchanged through celebrities who are embodiments and reflections of certain types of lifestyles, and therefore a set of values and ideologies. By keeping up with the many children that Brad and Angelina kept adopting or despising the many pick and drop relationships that John Mayer got involved with, one is actively taking a stance with or against popular culture. It invites people to form a view about the spotlighted lifestyles, to make a judgement and a choice about their own lifestyles. They can buy into the lifestyle and make it their own, or reject it and claim to be unaffiliated with such values. 

Ward observes that theological terms are often loosely thrown around in popular culture colloquialisms. “Rise”, “fall”, “salvation”, “divinity”, for example. Through talk of them, it seems as though they are being expected to act larger-than-life, in fact, above typical humanity. Why else should they be given so much heat for the little things that they do, especially when they “act human”? He also notes the apparent irony in the term “idol” (a false god) in American Idol, or when describing extremely celebrated figures in popular culture. In a way, celebrity culture reveals how humanity sees itself. One revels in seeing a young, aspiring artist slowly gain his much-deserved fame and reputation but then chides in mocking him when he makes a mistake during his later years. Ward attributes this to the desire to see “mere-mortals” rise to fame, and for stars to prove their humanity once they have gained a god-status. They reflect the individual’s yearning for the beautiful home, the loving spouse and happy family— Hence the support for the aspiring artist and the distaste for the star who “has it all” but chooses to waste it away. 

Gods Behaving Badly, Introduction - Pete Ward

Read this!

Religion and Popular Culture in America - Bruce David Forbes & Jeffrey H. Mahan

Celebrity Culture: Are Americans Too Focused on Celebrities? - Howard Altman

A penny for your thoughts?

• Ward says that celebrity culture is a reflection of our individual selves. Rather, do you think that we encourage the “mere-mortal” aspiring to be a star and to have “god-status” because it proves that we can do it as well? Do we not criticize the star who makes a trivial mistake because we believe that we could do it better should we be in their shoes? So in a way, does popular culture feed off our inherent selfishness and pride?
• Ward starts talking about popular culture potentially becoming the new religion. Assuming that happens in the new future, what would that look like?
• Many pastors encourage Christians not to reject popular culture but to find new ways to work through it, especially in order to reach out to younger generations. (so as to perhaps combat the decline in traditional church attendance, as Ward notes) Do you think that this might work?